


Not so mundane, I see...

by ofgreyice



Series: Shadowhunters: After the Instruments [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, M/M, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 07:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19459255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofgreyice/pseuds/ofgreyice
Summary: You arrive in the New York Institute, asking for the Head himself, Rodrigo Santiago-Lightwood. But what you discover is that Rodrigo isn't how he seems - and he seems to recognise you, too...- - -Read Down Like A Warlock before reading this. The characters will make sense then.





	Not so mundane, I see...

**Author's Note:**

> If you're curious, this is set 28 or so years after Down Like A Warlock.
> 
> I wrote it for a good friend of mine, who supported me with DLAW through literally everything, and so it is geared more toward them, but I hope you guys enjoy it too!

You pull out your phone, and look in front of you. Sure enough, you're stood in front of the Institute, which your phone says you should be at, and you put your phone away. You walk up to the massive doors, which open for you, and begin to scout around for the office of the Head of the Institute - whom you've heard is none other than Rodrigo Santiago-Lightwood, the Angelwalker who took down Lilith (and subsequently destroyed Edom). Your heels tap on the polished floor, your heart thumps within your ears, erratic and yet steady, your eyes flicker from painting to painting, like flames, or a moth drawn to a light. Endless corridors open out into yet more corridors, Shadowhunters are everywhere, talking about the latest mission. Eventually, you give in to confusion, and tap the nearest Shadowhunter on the shoulder. He turns around, and immediately you get the feeling that something is off about him. He's reasonably average height, he looks alright - a little pale, maybe, but he's probably just tired - and he's dressed in a normal Shadowhunters' gear. But why does he have red eyes? Is he really tired, or do your eyes deceive you?  
"E-excuse me..." You begin. "I'm looking for the office of the Head of the Institute.".  
The Shadowhunter smiles, a gracious, kind smile, that makes even his alarming red eyes glow with something akin to joy.  
"Of course." He says, in a smooth voice. "Follow me.".  
And so you follow this unusual Shadowhunter, who navigates the twists and turns of the Institute like he's lived here his whole life, who can name every person in the paintings on the walls when you ask, who sounds so profoundly eloquent that he can't possibly be an average citizen. You think maybe he had a very good school life.  
"We're here." He says, pulling you out of your reverie.  
He's stopped outside a large wooden door, and bothers not with knocking. Instead, he opens the door, and beckons you inside.  
"Take a seat." He says, when you finally manage to propel your legs forward into the office.  
You do so, and take a minute to look around at the room. It's oddly homey - there's a large desk in front of you, made of a solid and shiny wood, with folders and papers and photos everywhere - some of the Shadowhunters, some of the Institute, some of what look to be a Nephilim woman, a young Nephilim (too young yet to be a Shadowhunter), and a beigeish green little baby, with elf ears. The computer on the desk is turned off, the fan making no noise at all, and an Angelic Powers rune sticker on the side of the monitor. The window blinds are open, letting in the maximum amount of light, and a view of the courtyard from said window, where Shadowhunters are currently duelling, under the guidance of another Shadowhunter, who looks to be about 40 or so. It strikes you that you know her from one of those paintings - caramel skin, eyes as blue as the deep sea, and runes all over the place. If only you could place her name...  
"Where is the Head of the Institute?" You find yourself asking, at long last.  
The Shadowhunter that had accompanied you smiles, and sits down in front of you, behind the desk.  
"Right here." He says, grinning a little. There's a mischievous twinkle in his crimson eyes, although there's pain as well. "How can I help you?".  
You shift a little. Right in front of you is Rodrigo Santiago-Lightwood - a Shadowhunter feared by many, due to his skills both on the field and off it, and thanks to his extremely annoying (but useful) parabatai.  
"I... I'm here to ask you if I can become a Shadowhunter." You say, quietly. For a moment, you don't think Rodrigo heard you, and you contemplate repeating yourself, but he makes a small noise in the back of his throat, and stands up.  
"How old are you?" He asks, pacing around the office.  
You pause, slightly offended, but answer all the same.  
"17." You say.  
Rodrigo sits back down - although not for long - and grabs a piece of paper. He reads through it, and then puts it down.  
"Of course. You're not too old to start learning..." He pauses. You pause too. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name.".  
You lean forward, resting your elbows on his desk.  
"It's (Y/N) (Y/L/N)." You say, slowly.  
Rodrigo freezes. You can pinpoint the exact moment in which he realises who you are, who your parents are, why he knows you.  
"You're the (Y/L/N) kid?" He asks, swallowing hard. "But that's impossible... Your dad was a mundane. I knew him, from college.".  
You smile a little.  
"Well... Mum was a Nephilim, so..." You begin, scratching the back of your head. "I guess I grew up a mundane, but I was always told about the Shadow World.".  
Rodrigo doesn't answer. To you, it looks like he's too busy processing what you've just said. You look again at the photos on his desk, and point to a particularly cute one of the beigeish green baby with the elf ears.  
"Who's this?" You ask. "And why do they have elf ears?".  
Rodrigo smiles fondly at the photo.  
"That's my daughter, Magic. She's a Seelie, which is why she has elf ears." He answers, some form of undying adoration present in his voice. He looks out of the window, and points at a short young girl, with beigeish green skin, and the same elf ears as the baby, Magic, and you look at her in curious fascination. "There she is.".  
You stare curiously at the young girl. She can't be much older than 8, yet she's so very beautiful, and very, very elfish. In a sense, she hasn't changed a bit from that photo, except she's gotten slightly taller. And maybe a little more dignified, too.  
"She's... She's something." You say, and Rodrigo chuckles.  
"Yes, she is." He agrees, and turns back to the table. You do likewise. "So, you're of age to become a Shadowhunter, although you will need extra training.".  
You nod, eagerly.  
"Whatever it takes." You say. You've always wanted to be a Shadowhunter, ever since your mother told you what it was like, what the thrill of hunting demons felt like, just how good it feels to be part of a team, to be valuable to a group of people, to just be and belong.  
"I warn you, though..." Rodrigo says, softly. "You will see things you don't want to. There will be occasions where you'll have to make ugly decisions. And there will be times when you can't save everyone.".  
He sounds so despondent and lost, that you can't help but think he's been in those situations before.  
"Death, you see, (Y/N)..." He begins, slowly. "Death does not discriminate.".  
You nod.  
"It doesn't matter whether you're a sinner." Rodrigo says, and looks over at a painting of a teenage boy, with brown hair, and eyes so green that they actually scare you a little.  
You nod again.  
"It doesn't matter whether you're a saint." Rodrigo says, and looks over at a painting of a young girl, with blood-red skin, two small ebony horns on her forehead, and brilliant yellow cat eyes.  
You nod again, but there's something about the girl that keeps your attention lingering on her. She can't have been very old at all, to warrant an "Eternity doesn't last forever. Just a disproportionate amount of time. But it ended far too early for you." underneath her portrait, on a glued-on sticky note.  
"Death does not discriminate. It just takes, and it takes, and it takes. It will continue to do so, until the end of time." Rodrigo finishes.  
You nod, feeling somewhat like you're about to have an existential crisis, but also oddly enlightened.  
"May the Angel look down on you, and help you through your journey." Rodrigo says, and gets another Shadowhunter to escort you to your new room.  
As you wander through the endless halls to your room, you think about what Rodrigo had said. He was definitely in the situations he had described, you think, judging from how lost and sad, and even angry, he had been when talking about them. And the two paintings he looked at - they must have been people he knew well, and lost before he had a chance to make right his wrongs, or whatever it had been that he was saying. You reach your room, and remember how Rodrigo's entire being had seemed happier, more at ease, when talking about Magic, his Seelie daughter. Yet there was still sadness in his voice.  
You decide that it's probably better to not ask him about it, and that you'll unpack tomorrow, and you fall into a peaceful sleep, awaking refreshed and ready for the day.

**Author's Note:**

> Who do you think the girl with the red skin, the boy with the green eyes, and the woman with the blue eyes are?  
> They've all appeared in Down Like A Warlock, if that helps you at all :)
> 
> You are Kaleb Baxter's child.  
> Just to clarify why Rodrigo knows your father. 
> 
> I did include Hamilton references despite never having seen Hamilton and never having wished to, but that was because I loved the quote and my friend is a Hamilton fan XD
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
